Systems and methods for remote collection of electronic devices for value

ABSTRACT

A kiosk for accepting a portable electronic device from a client in exchange for payment includes a display, one or more cameras, a portable device receiving arrangement, a payment dispensing arrangement, and a communication connection to a remote server and/or operator. The kiosk is configured to, in conjunction with the remote server and/or operator, control an application program executing on the portable electronic device and one or more the cameras to detect characteristics of the portable electronic device. The kiosk is also configured to determine a value for the portable electronic device based upon aspects including the detected characteristics, and to display the determined value on said at least one display for approval by the client. Subsequently, based upon the determined value, the kiosk provides a payment to the client via the payment dispensing arrangement, and deposits the portable electronic device in the kiosk for subsequent collection.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/432,527 filed Jun. 5, 2019 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/153,137 filed May 12, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.10,339,509 issued Jul. 2, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/160,115 filed on May 12, 2015,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The technology presented herein relates to systems and methods relatedto the remote collection of small electronic devices in exchange forvalue. For example, the technology presented herein may be used in adistributed set of kiosks configured to accept a client's usedelectronic device, such as, for example, a smartphone, tablet computer,a smart watch or the like, and to provide the client with an amount inmoney for an estimated value of that accepted used electronic device.

BACKGROUND

Many people often find themselves in situations where, after havingbought a new smartphone or some other consumer electronic device toreplace an older device, they would like to conveniently and safelydispose of the old device. In many instances, such persons may desire totrade the old device for some monetary gain. Although they may use aservice such as Ebay or the like to list and sell the old device, suchavenues for disposing old devices are not convenient in that one mustmanually perform a number of steps such as listing the device for sale,monitoring purchase offers, provide the buyer with the device via mailor other manner, wait a relatively long time before receiving the moneyfrom the buyer, and even after the transaction has completed, still runthe risk of subjecting oneself to adverse comments by the buyer and/orreturn of the device.

Distributed collection centers, such as collection kiosks (hereinsometimes also referred to as “booths”) that are configured to accept aclient's smartphone and to then provide the client with an amount ofmoney corresponding to an estimated value are known, such as thoseprovided by ecoATM™. However, further improvements are desired in orderto make the process of trading in old consumer electronic devices moreconvenient for clients and more reliable and efficient for the kioskoperators (e.g., kiosk owners, entity responsible for collectingelectronic devices from multiple kiosks for subsequent trading).

Embodiments disclosed in this application provide for remote distributedcollection kiosks for efficiently collecting certain electronic devices.

SUMMARY

A kiosk for accepting a portable electronic device from a client inexchange for payment includes a display, one or more cameras, a portabledevice receiving arrangement, a payment dispensing arrangement, and acommunication connection to a remote server and/or operator. The kioskis configured to, in conjunction with the remote server and/or operator,control an application program executing on the portable electronicdevice and one or more of the cameras to detect characteristics of theportable electronic device. The kiosk is also configured to determine avalue for the portable electronic device based upon aspects includingthe detected characteristics, and to display the determined value onsaid at least one display for approval by the client. Subsequently,based upon the determined value, the kiosk provides a payment to theclient via the payment dispensing arrangement, and deposits the portableelectronic device in the kiosk for subsequent collection.

A system comprising a plurality of call center terminals, a centralserver, and a plurality of kiosks, such as above, connected to the callcenter terminals and the central server via a network is also described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system view of a network of remote distributedelectronic device collection kiosks, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 2A-B a front view and an angled view, respectively, of a modelelectronic device collection kiosk, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 3-5 schematically illustrates various hardware aspects of anelectronic device collection kiosk, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates interconnections between components inan electronic device collection kiosk, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 7-17 schematically illustrates aspects of a device scanningchamber and/or a drum assembly included in electronic device collectionkiosks, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 18-30 illustrate flowcharts of processes facilitating theoperation of one or more electronic device collection booths accordingto some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure include an electronic devicecollection kiosk that facilitates remote distributed collection ofelectronic devices in exchange for a monetary value or other value. Theelectronic devices that may be collected in these kiosks may includeconsumer electronic devices or portable electronic devices such as, butnot limited to, smartphones, tablet computers, smart watches, gamedevices, personal health monitoring devices, or other processor-basedelectronic devices. In some cases, it may be expected that the kiosksdescribed herein will more frequently collect smartphones and the likewhich are in widespread use and are often replaced with newer versionson a relatively short (e.g., 2-4 years) replacement cycle by manyconsumers. These embodiments will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments describedbelow are illustrative only, in order to describe, for example, theelectronic device collection kiosk according to this disclosure isformed and operated, and it is not intended to limit the electronicdevice collection kiosk or the like according to this disclosure tospecific configurations described below. Other specific configurationsmay be employed as appropriate according to the embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 comprising a network of distributedelectronic device collection kiosks, according to certain exampleembodiments. A plurality of electronic device collection kiosks(hereinafter referred to simply as “kiosk(s)”) 102 are located atvarious geographically distributed locations. Each kiosk 102 may bephysically located within a kiosk premise 104. The kiosk premise 104 maybe a building or other area under the supervision of, for example, aretail store or other enterprise.

The kiosks 102 are connected via one or more communication networks 106to data processing servers 108, data storage 110 and a call center 112.The network 106 may include, but is not limited to, the Internet and/orone or more other communications networks such as local area networks,wide area network, cellular connection, and/or point-to-pointcommunication connections.

The processing servers 108, storage servers 110 and call center 112 maybe located at the same geographical location or at different locations.The processing servers 108 may include one or more of any type ofcomputers and are configured to perform processing and/or analysis ofdata collected at the kiosks 102 and information related to theelectronic devices that are being collected at the kiosks 102.

The data storage servers 110 are configured to store information relatedto electronic devices that may be collected at the kiosks, and datacollected at the kiosks (e.g., session data, client information,information regarding consumer electronic devices submitted by clientsfor analysis, etc.). The data storage servers 110 may comprise any typeof digital data storage devices and may use any type of database and/orfile structure to collect and maintain the stored data.

The call center 112 is configured to enable one or more operators (“callcenter agents” or “call center operators”) to interact with users (e.g.,clients) who are close to any one of the kiosks 102. The interaction mayinclude one or more of audio, video and data feed. For example, when aperson is in close proximity to one of the kiosks 102 in order to submithis electronic device 114 to the kiosk, one or more operators viaterminals in the call center 112 may interact with the client regardingthe submission of electronic device 114. The interaction may befacilitated by the audio, video and/or data interfaces of the kiosk 102and/or the user's device 114. In some example embodiments, the servicesprovided by the call center operators may be grouped into two or moreclasses of services, as described below. In some embodiments, at leastsome of the call center operators may be fully or partially automated.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show a front view and an angled view, respectively, of amodel electronic device collection kiosk according to certain exampleembodiments. FIGS. 3-5 schematically illustrates various aspects of anelectronic device collection kiosk according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a frontal view (left), an angledfrontal view (middle) and an angled rear view (right) of an electronicdevice collection kiosk 302, according to certain example embodiments.

The kiosk 302 includes a screen 304 to display instructions and messagesto the client. Screen 304 may be configured to display messages, images,and/or video. The displayed content may be stored in the kiosk,dynamically generated based upon interactions with the client and/orcall center operator, and/or received over a network from an externalsource such as, for example, processing server 108, storage 110 and/orcall center 112. In at least some embodiments, screen 304 may include atouchscreen (e.g. display screen including a touch-sensitive panel) bywhich the client can provide input to the kiosk using fingers and/or astylus. The touchscreen may be configured to display a keyboard or thelike for the client to provide inputs. In addition to, or in place ofthe keyboard, the touchscreen may provide displayed buttons and the likethat the user can “touch” in order to provide inputs to the computerprograms executed on kiosk 302.

The kiosk 302 includes a device entry door 306 that is opened in orderfor the client to submit the device for scanning and processing andalso, in some cases, for the client to retrieve the device from thekiosk 302. The device entry door 306 is manipulated to control access toa scanning area, referred to herein as the camera chamber, where thedevice is scanned using one or more cameras. In certain exampleembodiments, device entry door 306 is electronically controlled to openonly at certain points during a transaction with a client. For example,the door 306 may be controlled by the kiosk 302 to remain closed at alltimes except when the displayed messaging on screen 304 indicates thatthe client may now submit the device for scanning and processing or whenthe messaging indicates that the client may now retrieve the electronicdevice. In some embodiments, the device entry door 306 may be openedand/or closed manually by the client.

Kiosk 302 may also include a cash dispenser (not shown in FIG. 3) whichhas a related cash dispenser camera 308 and a cash dispenser shutterdoor 310 that controls access to the cash dispenser. The cash dispenseris configured to dispense cash to the client, and has access to a knownamount of money in stored cash of one or more value denominations. Incertain example embodiments, the cash dispenser shutter door 310 iselectronically controlled to provide access to the cash dispenser onlyat certain times during a transaction. The cash dispenser camera 308 isconfigured to monitor the cash dispenser door. In some embodiments, thecash dispenser camera 308 is selectively activated to take images and/orrecord video when the cash dispenser shutter door is activated. Forexample, during an interval starting shortly before the cash dispensershutter door is opened to shortly after it is closed, the cash dispensercamera may be activated recording video. In some embodiments, one ormore other cameras of the Kiosk too can be activated for all or somepart of the duration in which the cash dispenser camera is active. Therecorded images/video may be stored in association with anidentification of the client or clients who are currently interactingwith the kiosk.

An ID card unit 311 is provided to accept an ID card, such as, forexample, a driver's license. The ID card unit 311 may include an ID cardreader 312 and an ID card chute 314. The ID card reader 312 may beconfigured to accept a submitted ID card such as a driver's license, tomove the ID card into a scan region (not separately shown), to read oneor more of a magnetic stripe, a smart card chip, or an RFID in the IDcard, and/or to scan or photograph one or both sides of that ID cardwhile it is in the scan region. After the ID card has been processed inthe ID card reader 312, it may be dropped into the ID card chute 314 or,in some embodiments, be returned through the same or similar card slotas it was put into. The ID card chute may have an electronically ormanually controlled door which can be opened to retrieve the ID card.The ID card unit may have an indicator 328 to display status associatedwith the ID card reader. In some embodiments, the indicator 328 mayinclude one or more indicator lights to indicate one or more itsoperational statuses such as, for example, ready to receive ID card,scanning in progress, ID card is in the chute. In some embodiments, theindicator 328 may include an LCD display screen in which short statusmessages can be displayed. In some other embodiments, the ID card unit311 may include a camera that can capture images of a ID card insufficient resolution, and associated optical character recognition(OCR) or other technology to process the captured images of the ID cardto determine identification information. For example, with such a unit311, the user of the kiosk may be prompted to hold each side of the IDcard up to a camera for an image of sufficient resolution can becaptured, and the captured images can be processed by OCR software todetect the associated driver license number, name etc. contained in theID card.

A printer 316 incorporated into kiosk 302 may be configured to print oneor more of receipts, estimates, labels, etc., as commanded by one ormore processors in the kiosk. An indicator 326 may be associated withthe printer to display its status. In some embodiments, the indicator326 includes one or more indicator lights which may be associated withthe printer to provide visual status of the printer's operation (e.g.,“printer busy”, “out of paper”, etc.). In some other embodiments, theindicator 326 may be an LCD display screen.

The kiosk 302 may also have incorporated into it one or moreoutside-facing cameras, such as, for example, front wide angle camera318, device entry monitoring camera 320, and top camera 322. The frontwide angle camera 318 and top camera 322 can be configured to captureimages of the client as he/she approaches the kiosk and/or interactswith the kiosk. The device entry monitoring camera 320 is configured toprovide for monitoring the device entry door 306 and surrounding area,so that aspects relating to the submission of the device to the kioskand retrieval of the device from the kiosk can be reliably confirmed.The cash dispenser monitoring camera 308 is another outward facingcamera provided in at least some embodiments. The kiosk may beconfigured so that two or more of these cameras can be activated in acoordinated manner. For example, in some examples, one or more of thecameras may be activated based on a trigger detected by one of thecameras (e.g., motion detection from top camera 322 or wide angle camera318), when triggered by opening of a controlled shutter or door of thekiosk, when the fingerprint reader is activated, when the touchscreen istouched, etc.

A fingerprint scanner 324 may be arranged on the surface of the kiosk302 such that the client is provided the ability to conveniently providea fingerprint scan via the kiosk 302. In various embodiments, thefingerprint of a user may be stored by the kiosk in association with theID card of the client, and may be used in association with agreementsetc. as the client's signature, and/or to provide access verificationfor one or more of the controlled shutters.

Kiosk 302 may also have incorporated in its structure a charging station330 and/or a trash bin 332. The charging station 330 can be configuredfor providing clients with the capability to charge devices such as theelectronic device which they wish to transact using the kiosk 302. Insome embodiments, the charging station 330 includes power outlet suchthat the client can plug in his own power cord to charge his electronicdevice. In some other embodiments, one or more different chargingcables/connecters of different types (e.g. connectors for iPhone,connector for Samsung Galaxy S5, different types of USB connectors,etc.) may be provided such that the client can select the appropriatecharging cable. In yet other embodiments, a combination of the above twotechniques may be provided. The charging station may be behind anelectronically controlled door. The charging station may, in someembodiments, charge a plugged in device for long as it is left pluggedin the charging station. In some other embodiments, the charging stationmay be configured to provide a measured charge for each plugged indevice. The measured charge may be provided based upon a limited timeallowed for charging, based upon limited duration and amount of powerprovided, or based upon a percentage of the battery being charged.

The trash bin 332 is designed to provide clients with the convenience ofdisposing small amounts of trash such as, for example, wrapping orpackaging for electronic devices, labels, receipts, and additional partsassociated with the electronic device that is submitted to the kiosketc. In some embodiments, in place or in addition to the trash bin,another peripherals bin (accessory bin) is provided. The peripheral binmay be protected by a controlled door, and, in some embodiments, may beopened only for a client who has completed a predetermined stage of thetransaction process (e.g., stage of actually submitting an electronicdevice to be scanned by the kiosk, stage of completing authentication bysubmitting the identification documents, etc.). The peripheralsdeposited into the bin may be collected in a chute. The collectedperipheral etc., may be for purposes of recycling. However, in someembodiments, peripherals submitted to the peripheral bin may be taggedor marked as being associated with an electronic device submitted to thekiosk, so that, if necessary, the peripherals can be associated with theproper electronic device in a downstream activity.

FIG. 4 illustrates several schematic profile views of the kiosk 302,organized into an upper row and a lower row, according to certainexample embodiments. In the lower row of images, a left side profileview (left most on page), a front profile view (second from left), aright profile view (third from left), and a rear profile view (rightmost in page) are shown. A top view (i.e., viewed from above) of kiosk302 is shown in the upper row. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the chargingstation 330 and garbage bin 332 can be located on the sides of the kioskbecause of their relatively infrequent expected use. The display screenmay be slightly angled upwards so that it is more comfortably visible toa client of the kiosk. Fingerprint sensor 324 and electronic devicedeposit door 306 in a flat surface approximately at the level of aclient's hands.

FIG. 5 illustrates more detail of certain parts of the kiosk 302. Kioskcabinet bottom sides and back 502, cabinet top 504, top and bottom frontdoors 508 and 510, plateau assembly 506 are shown. Cash dispenser 512,printer 514, touchscreen 516, wide angle camera 518, and front covers522, 524 and 526 for, respectively, the spare opening, printer openingand ID card unit opening shown in the top front door 508, are alsoillustrated.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a network 600 connecting components inan electronic device collection kiosk such as kiosks 102 and 302,according to an embodiment. For example, according to some embodiments,kiosk 302 may include a kiosk computer 602, an interface touch screen604, an advertising screen 606, a cash dispenser 608, a printer 610, amechanism 612, a fingerprint scanner 614, a router 616, a modem 618, abattery 620, and a power switch 622.

According to some embodiments kiosk computer 602 may be based upon aplatform such as, for example, Windows Embedded 8 Standard. The maingraphical user interface screen(s) displayed by the kiosk computer 602to clients or potential clients may be formed, for example, usingChromium (see, for example, https://www.chromium.org) as the containerand using one or more of HTML5/Javascript/CSS as the language, andaccessing libraries such as, for example, JQuery. The kiosk's maingraphical user interface may include all graphical elements, animations,audio and logic associated with client interaction with the kiosk. Themain GUI and/or kiosk computer 602 may communicate directly with server,such as processing server 108, and hardware service through AJAX callsand receives events through web sockets. Included in the main GUI orimplemented separately is a digital sign interface for displayingmarketing images and/or videos based on a predetermined orremotely-specified sequence. For example, the sequence may be specifiedfrom a remote server, such as processing server 108, using a digitalsign administrative interface implemented in the kiosk software. Thedigital sign interface may also be formed using one or more languagessuch as HTML5/Javascript/CSS, libraries such as JQuery, and a Chromiumcontainer.

In addition to the main interface and the digital sign interface, thekiosk may also implement a service interface that may replace the maininterface and/or the digital sign interface when activated by a servicetechnician or other entity. The service interface may enable the servicetechnician to access configurations, calibrations and system checks tohelp correct problems or issues with the kiosk. The service interfacelogic interacts directly with a hardware service through AJAX calls. Theservice interface may also be formed using one or more languages such asHTML5/Javascript/CSS, libraries such as JQuery, and a Chromiumcontainer.

The software logic implementing the hardware service may be createdusing a computer programming language such as C++, and using one or moreof the libraries CURL, OpenCV, ZBar and DirectShow. The hardware servicemay be implemented as a Windows Service (e.g. and include automaticstartup and recovery). The hardware service contains the logic thatinteracts with the Operating System and hardware peripherals on thekiosk 302. It may contain an HTTP server which listens for calls fromthe kiosk interface and service interface. It may also accepts websocket connections to send events to the interfaces. The service may beself-updating, self-configuring and self-healing. Self-updating meansthat, on startup, the service queries the server for potential updatesand executes incremental updates until it reaches the latest version. Incase of issues, the service reverts back to its previous known goodversion. Self-configuring means that, on startup, the service verifiesOperating System configurations and corrects any discrepancies. It alsoverifies all its configuration options (i.e., COM Port numbers, Cameraassignations) and tries to correct any issues automatically.Self-healing means that when a hardware error is encountered, theservice will automatically power cycle the faulty device and try tore-initialize it before triggering a service call as a last resort.

The kiosk computer may, in some embodiments include a personal computerPC, having a CPU processor such as AMD A6-6400K, and a motherboard suchas Gigabyte GA-F2A78M-D3H, with a 4 GB of RAM.

The touchscreen may be a model such as “ELO E496859 22” touchscreenhaving resolution of 1920×1080. The touchscreen may be connected to thekiosk computer via a DVI interface. The digital sign screen may, forexample, have a resolution such as 1920×1080, and may be connected witha VGA interface. The device camera may include, for example, E-ConSystems See3CAMCU13, and may provide a resolution of 4912×3684. A lenssuch as a 6 mm focal length, may be used. A USB connection may be usedfor communication with the kiosk. The face camera may include a USBconnected camera such as “E-on systems See3CAMCU50” at a resolution suchas 2654×1956 and lens 2.8 mm focal length. The security camera mayinclude a USB connected camera such as an “E-Con Systems See3CAMCU50”camera with a 2.1 mm focal length and 2654×1956 resolution.

The kiosk router may include a router such as TP-Link TL-WDR3600 runningfirmware such as OpenWRT 14.07. The router includes connections: WANEthernet to the modem; LAN Ethernet to the PC; and LAN Ethernet to thePower Switch. The router may be flashed with OpenWRT and then configuredto the specific needs of the kiosk. The router may be configured, forexample, to communicate with the hardware service when WiFi connectionsare made and when the kiosk app is downloaded from an app store or thelike. The router may expose the interface to open and close the WiFiradio which is controlled by the hardware service. A modem may providethe Ethernet connection to the router and may be based upon a cellularconnection.

The mechanism may include an Arduino Mega controller connected to avirtual COM port through USB. The Arduino firmware may be configured toonly contain simple logic to control the motors and lights while makingsure there is no interference. The hardware service carries all or mostof the logic associated with the good functioning of the mechanism.

The cash dispenser may be a model such as, WBE GBM-10M, connected to avirtual COM port through USB. The kiosk power switch may be an item suchas a Digital Loggers LPC738270 switch. The power switch may be connectedvia Ethernet to the router and may power the battery for charging. Insome embodiments, the power switch may be an Ethernet managed powerswitch. All devices are connected to individual sockets which can becontrolled through HTTP calls. The hardware service may use thisfunctionality to power cycle faulty devices. The battery may be of theUPS variety. In some embodiments the UPS may at least have enough powerat all times so that current ongoing processing can be completed in caseof a power failure. For example, the UPS may be configured to have atleast a predetermined amount of power required for the kiosk to return atrade device that has been deposited in the kiosk and to close allaccess doors before shutting down in the case of a power failure.

The server may be hosted by a cloud provider such as, for example,Amazon Web Services (AWS), and may use an operating system such asUbuntu 14.04, and include subsystems such as Apache, PHP, MongoDB,OpenERP. The server may operate a plurality of call center queues. Insome embodiments, the server keeps a web socket connection alive witheach kiosk to keep track of its status and active session. When thelogic dictates that a call center agent should be involved in thesession, the session is put into queue based on the agent levelrequired. Sessions are then pushed to an available agent. The queues maybe services based on a round-robin servicing discipline.

In some embodiments, kiosk sessions are archived by the server. Allsession information may be contained in JSON format. At the end of asession, this data file is inserted into a database (e.g., MongoDB). Thearchived sessions can be analyzed and evaluated to determine patterns.For example, most frequently occurring defects for each type ofelectronic device, most frequent combinations of defects, etc. can bedetermined from such analysis, and may be used in enhancing the processof device acceptance in the kiosk.

In some embodiments, OpenERP is used to keep track of kiosk hardwareinventory, trade device inventory, sales transactions and accounting.Each completed kiosk session inserts a transaction into the ERP system.Once the trade devices are picked up on location, a purchase order iscreated for the phones expected to be shipped by the kiosk operator.

The call center agent interface creates a web socket connection to theserver and waits for a session to be assigned. Agents have a level thatdictates the type of session they can handle (described below). Theinterface may be formed using one or more languages such asHTML5/Javascript/CSS, libraries such as JQuery, and a container such asChromium.

The call center agents may be classified into a plurality of levels andassigned for servicing clients according to the classification. In someembodiments, the system may provide for three levels of call centeragents. A level 1 agent cannot interact directly with the client. Theonly types of session a level 1 agent handles are best case scenarioswhere the ID and trade device needs to be verified. A level 2 agent caninteract with the client to help him navigate the kiosk interface.He/she can also assess non-working trade devices and match them againsta list the system offers based on the physical metrics retrieved. Level2 agents can handle level 1 sessions. A level 3 agent can handle level 1and 2 sessions but also has access to specific kiosk controls to fixand/or report problems on the kiosk.

In addition to the above, the system may also include an administrationor supervisor interface. The interface may be formed using one or morelanguages such as HTML5/Javascript/CSS, libraries such as JQuery, and acontainer in the form of any browser. The supervisor interface connectsto the server via web socket and receives events on all changes to thesystem. This lets the supervisor see the queues and kiosk statuses inreal time. The supervisor has the ability to open any session (past orongoing) and get real time updates of the progression and interactionswith the agents. A set of tools is made available to diagnose, fix andreport issues with kiosks.

FIGS. 7-17 schematically illustrate aspects of a device scanning unitand/or a drum assembly included in kiosks 102, according to certainexample embodiments. FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic view of the devicescanning unit 700, according to an embodiment. The unit 700 includes atop dome 704 and a bottom dome 706 arranged such that they enclose aglobe-shaped area which may be used as the device scanning chamber. Adevice entry unit 702 includes a device entry door 708. A plateau 710 isused to attach the device scanning unit 700 to the kiosk, such as kiosk302.

The device scanning chamber may be made so that it facilitatesaccomplishing, among other things, a few goals. In an exampleembodiment, the device scanning chamber is designed to optimize forgenerating shadowless images of the device being scanned. For example,the device scanning chamber is configured for diffused lighting thatbounces off of a matte white surface which is ideally suited forcreating shadowless pictures.

The two transversely cut domes 704 and 706 are mounted opposite eachother. Both domes rotate around the same radius and are mechanicallylinked together. This shape allows for the most compact space to offerthe greatest picture taking benefit. For example, in the illustratedembodiment, this allows for capturing images throughout a 360-degreepath around the device being scanned.

A camera is attached at the apex of one of the domes (e.g., at the apexof dome 704) and is focused internally to the center area (where thedevice will be moved while resting on a transparent glass tray) of theglobe-shaped scanning chamber. The other dome serves as a constantneutral backdrop so that all of the full-front or full-back picturestaken of the device (e.g., smartphone) will have a completely monotoneand uniform backdrop that can be cropped out, leaving a full, clearimage of the smartphone.

The two domes allow for an almost infinite number of picture takingangles. This flexibility is highly beneficial when determining thecondition of the device submitted. The flexibility in image taking canbe especially important when trying to ascertain whether a device has acracked screen, etc. By triggering the flash of the camera and takingpictures at varying angles, it is easier to make this determinationbased upon the captured images. Moreover, by enabling a call centeroperator to control at least some of the image taking, a moreparticularized, efficient, image taking process may be implemented. Forexample, in some embodiments, the call center operator may controlaspects of the rotation of the domes, camera focus and/or angle, cameralocation, flash triggering timing and duration, level of light etc. Insome embodiments, the call center operator may also control, forexample, the movement of the tray holding the device inside the camerachamber, the positioning, movement and/or rotation of the device. In yetother embodiments, the call center operator may control the camera andassociated equipment to deposit a predetermined quantity of somesubstance (e.g., powder, liquid etc.) to facilitate the quality andeffectiveness of the captured images.

This design also allows, in some embodiments, for a gap to be hadbetween where the two domes would meet (and where the tray holding thedevice travels through). In a completely sealed kiosk, this area is seenas almost black when taking pictures at about 45 degrees from the apex(e.g., when the tray holding the camera is horizontal). When rotatingthe camera and taking pictures, there may be certain angles that havethis dark area reflect differently on the screen of the device. The darkarea is a great help in determining whether there is a crack on thedevice's screen. For example, FIG. 15B illustrates image taking forcrack detection.

In some embodiments, in addition to, or in place of a camera whichimages only visible light, a camera that images other light wavelengths,such as, but not limited to, infrared or ultra violet, and correspondinglighting sources can be used. In some embodiments, a full spectrumcamera that can capture light in the visible and invisible (to the humaneye) spectrum may be used. The inventors have noticed that certain typesof hairline cracks on a screen are more effectively noticeable underultra violet or infrared light rather than the normal visible light. Thecall center operator may control the light wavelength(s) for one or moreof the images. In some embodiments, the selection of light wavelength(s)may be automated and may be controlled by the kiosk or the remoteserver, based upon the type of electronic device and/or featuresdetected during the examination of the electronic device.

Some embodiments may, instead of the domes with moving cameras, utilizea series of fixed cameras and, in some cases, may control the electronicdevice to turn or move so that any desired angle of the electronicdevice can be imaged. One or more cameras and/or 3D imaging techniquesmay be used to obtain data that can be used in the determination of thedevice's dimensions, type, condition, features etc.

In some embodiments, the kiosk app (while executing on the device) maybe used to cause a series of patterns (e.g., straight lines, circles,etc.) to be drawn on the display of the device, and concurrently one ormore cameras can be used to capture the images on the device's display.Distortions in the patterns can be measured to assist in locatingdefects in the screen of the device. These techniques, as used in someembodiments, are believed to substantially improve the probability ofdetecting hairline cracks etc., before the device is accepted.

In still other embodiments, a 3D capturing apparatus alone or incombination with other cameras in the camera chamber may be used toassist with outlining the size, shape and color of the traded device.

FIG. 8 illustrates a view of the device scanning unit 700 from a similarright angle as in FIG. 7, but in outline form of the structures forclarity. FIG. 8 illustrates, among other things, a device holdingstructure 712, device holding glass 714 attached to the device holdingstructure 712, and the device 716 placed on the device holding glass.The device holding structure 712 may be formed as a tray configured tohold the device holding glass 714. A motor 718 and shaft 720 assembly isactuated to move a device from the device entry area to the scanningarea. An order in which this can be accomplished is as follows: thedevice entry door 708 is rotated from the closed position by actuatingthe motor and belt assembly 722; once the kiosk detects (with sensors)that the device is placed on the device holding glass 714, then thedevice holding structure is rotated to the camera area by actuatingmotor 718. A camera 724 is located at the apex of the top dome 704 andis held in place by a camera arm 726. The camera arm 726 may be formedas one unit or an interconnected plurality of units that span asubstantial portion of the perimeter of both the top and bottom domes. Amotor and belt assembly 722 operates to control the device entry door708. Device entry door 708 may be controlled by the kiosk computer.

FIG. 9 illustrates a view of the device scanning unit 700 from an angleopposite (e.g. left angle) to that of FIG. 8 in outline form of thestructures. FIG. 9 illustrates, among other things, a camera motor 730and a camera motor holder 732. FIG. 9 also illustrates shutter actuatorlever 734 which operate to actuate the shutter 736 to open when thedevice entry door 708 has been closed.

FIG. 10 illustrates the same view as FIG. 9, but with the camera motor730 and a camera motor holder 732 illustrated in transparent mode sothat more details of the camera motor 730 and belt 733 are illustrated.

FIG. 11 illustrates yet another wireframe image of the same angle asFIGS. 9-10, but with the domes 704 and 706, and parts of the deviceentry unit 702 and plateau 710 hidden from view in order to more clearlyillustrate certain features such as the shutter actuator 734, andshutter 736, and shaft assembly 720, and motor and belt assembly 722.

FIG. 12 schematically illustrates a view from the top with certain partsset to be transparent so that a top-side of a device 716 which isresting on the glass 714 is seen. Glass 714 is held by the deviceholding structure 712.

FIG. 13 schematically illustrates a view from the bottom with certainparts set to be transparent so that a bottom-side of a device 716 whichis resting on the glass 714 is seen.

FIG. 14 schematically illustrates the two half domes 704 and 706 withthe camera arm 726 and camera 724 in place, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 15A schematically illustrates a shutter 738 together with shutteractuator 736 (shutter actuator lever 734 is hidden from view by shutter738), according to an embodiment. In some embodiments, the shutter 738may be actuated open by the closing of the door 708 and closed by theopening of the door 708. Also illustrated in FIG. 15A is a drum assembly740 used for collecting the scanned trade devices.

FIG. 15B schematically illustrates using camera 724 at a rotated (e.g.,by 45 degrees) position in capturing images of the trade device 716which is located on the glass 714 within the camera chamber defined bydomes 704 and 706, in a manner facilitating the detection of cracks,such as crack 762, on the screen of device 716. Since there is no lightin the kiosk, light rays 764 coming from outside the domes are very dim.The light rays 768 coming from the light source 766 inside the domes arevery bright in contrast. When the device glass 716 is unbroken and flat,most of the light rays hitting the camera come from outside the domes.If a crack is present on the glass 762, this creates an edgeperpendicular to the glass surface which reflects light rays coming frominside the domes into the camera. The resulting image highlights crackswhile keeping the rest of the glass surface dark. The software thenanalyzes the image to detect white lines which represents cracks in thedevice glass.

FIG. 16 schematically illustrates the drum assembly 740 which is used tocollect the electronic devices that are accepted by the kiosk. The drum740 may rest on a wheeled dolly 742. A device tray 746 and a tray sleeve744 are inside the drum to collect the accepted electronic devices, suchas shown electronic device 748.

FIG. 17 provides a schematic illustration of the drum assembly withouter shell of the drum 740 being transparently illustrated so that thedevice bag 750 and the multiple device trays 752, 753, 754 and 755 whichare linked as one unit can be clearly seen. As devices are dropped ontothe tray 746, a motor (not shown) at the bottom of the drum 740 isactuated which drives a mechanism (e.g., an endless screw) that lowersthe tray 746. The motor stops when a sensor at the top of the drum 740detects that the tray has been lowered enough for the device resting onit to clear the top of the drum. In some embodiments, instead of, or inaddition to, the sensor, the tray will be moved only for certainpredetermined distances or angles based, for example, on commands sentto the actuator or motor controller, or by sending a certain amount ofpower for a determined amount of time. When the tray reaches the bottomof the drum, a service call is issued to let the kiosk operator know thedrum is full and needs to be emptied. The service technician rolls outthe drum and pulls out the bag 750 containing the devices

FIGS. 18-30 illustrate flowcharts of a process facilitating theoperation of one or more electronic device collection booths accordingto some embodiments.

Process 800 may be implemented by one or more kiosks, such as kiosk 102,as shown in FIG. 1. At operation 802, the kiosk operates in a mode toattract clients, which may be its default mode of operation. Forexample, the kiosk may display, in a continuously repeating loop, one ormore video messages on its screen for attracting clients. Duringoperation 802 while displaying imagery for attracting clients, the kioskmay monitor one or more inputs to detect the presence of a client. Insome embodiments, the kiosk may include one or more motion sensors thatenables it to save power and/or idle when no potential client isdetected nearby based upon motion. In some embodiments, the attract loopmay also include predetermined audio being played through one or morespeakers of the kiosk. The video and/or audio of the attract loop mayinclude advertisements or other programming, and may be, at least inpart, provided by a remote server (e.g., a central remote serverproviding programming to the network of kiosks) and/or local operator.For example, in some embodiments, the attract loop of a particular kioskmay include advertisements relevant to the local establishment in whichthe kiosk is located, and may have been provided either by a remoteserver or the operator of the local establishment.

At operation 804, a client is detected. The detection may be based upondetecting that a human is facing the kiosk at a close distance (e.g.,1-2 feet) away from the kiosk. This detection of presence may be basedupon one of the cameras illustrated in kiosk 302 shown in FIG. 3, or aseparate motion sensor. The detection may alternatively, or in additionto the above, be based upon a touch input, voice input or button pressreceived on the kiosk. In some embodiments, based upon a motion detectedby a motion sensor, the kiosk may begin the welcome screen display andrequest the client to touch a virtual button displayed on the screen.

After the presence of a client is detected, at operation 806, a welcomescreen is displayed. The welcome screen may include informationprompting the client to download a kiosk application. The welcome screenmay comprise one or more screens and/or displayed images and/ormessages. In some embodiments, messages can also be transmitted asaudio, perhaps synchronized to the video messaging being displayed. Thewelcome screen may also prompt the client to provide identifyinginformation.

At operation 808, a user session is created in the kiosk. The usersession is intended to capture sufficient information to record theentire transaction for purposes including, for example,legal/contractual purposes, record keeping purposes and data collectionpurposes.

At operation 810, an ID card provided by the client is detected. Forexample, the client may have inserted a driver's license (or othersimilar ID card) into the ID card unit 311. The ID card is scannedand/or photographed on one or both sides in order acquire the client'sID information. In some embodiments, the ID card may be recognized andits information extracted by analyzing one or more photographs of the IDcard acquired by an outside facing camera (e.g., without requiringinsertion to a ID card unit).

At operation 812 it is determined whether the submitted ID is valid. Insome embodiments, the scanned/photographed ID card information may betransmitted to a call center agent who verifies the information andcommunicates approval or disapproval. In other embodiments, at thisstage, if certain basic predetermined parameters are satisfied for thescanned/photographed ID card, the ID may be assumed valid. For example,if the provided ID card is a driver's license, the kiosk may determine,by running optical character recognition or the like upon thescanned/photographed ID card, a driver's license number and name, andthat information may be communicated to an internet resource that canverify the authenticity of the ID card information.

According to some embodiments, the ID card scanning system is built toreduce costs when compared to commercially available ID card scanningsystems. In one embodiment, the ID card scanner includes a simplexbusiness card scanner that drops the ID card into a chute after itpasses through the scanner in one direction. This makes the mechanicalprocess significantly simpler and more resistant to failure by removingthe need to reverse the motors to get the card back out of the scanner.

Once the card is scanned, both top and bottom pictures may be sent to anOCR server. Through the use of APIs (e.g., Google Tesseract and InliteClearImage), the server finds and decodes barcodes that may be presentin the ID card or in the pictures and uses OCR to read any text.Thereafter, a check is made regarding whether the OCR data matches thedata found in the barcodes. This helps automatically assess if the cardis valid.

Any pertinent information ascertained by this ID card unit may be thensent to the kiosk to possibly be used during the rest of thetransaction. For example, if the client's name is extracted by the IDcard unit, the kiosk may continue to communicate with the client byusing their name. In some embodiments, the kiosk's graphical userinterface (GUI) may also use a speaking avatar and the avatar may also“speak” to the client by the name as determined by the ID card unit. Thedate of birth, age, or address/state information that may be obtainedfrom the ID card may be used to further customize the avatar and/orquestions asked from the client. Such information can also be used tocustomize the payment to be offered for a trade device. For example, ageand/or address may be used in selecting among several types of couponsthat may be offered in payment for a trade device.

In order to increase the likelihood of successfully completing atransaction and because customers generally respond favorably to a morepersonalized transaction, in some embodiments, the kiosk may use aspeaking avatar to help the client throughout the transaction. Theavatar may be configured such that, initially it “speaks” to the clientin general terms using pre-authored audio/video files. As thetransaction progresses with the client, and as the system learns moreabout the client and the device intended to be traded, the system mayselect parts from many different pre-recorded audio/video files,concatenate them (e.g., audio and video may be concatenated separately),and then it mix the audio and video files to be able to play oneseamless file that “speaks” to the client in more personal terms. Thismakes it such that for each transaction, the avatar is modified in itsspeech as well as in its appearance and gestures such that everytransaction becomes uniquely personal.

The kiosk contains a plurality of pre-recorded files audio files. Eachof these audio files may contain small snippets of phrases that havebeen professionally mastered, in studio, using live voice artists. Eachof these audio tracks may have been engineered using certain ambientsounds, pitch modifications and other studio techniques. The selectionand concatenation of the separate audio files are performed such thatthe concatenated file represents an audio played in one uninterruptedtake, e.g., it sounds as if the whole audio file was originally recordedin one take.

The pre-stored video files each contains a small snippet of characteranimation rendering of an avatar's movements (e.g., body and/or face).The videos may be professionally animated. Each of these renderingsstart at one of a plurality of “base frames” and end at one of aplurality of “final frames”. For each animation, a plurality of thesevideo files may be concatenated in order to form an animated avatarsuitable (e.g., determined based upon predetermined settings) in theappearance, in consideration of one or more of the particular client,device to be traded, time of day, location, environment etc.

To gather data that can then be used in the personalization of theavatar, certain information may be collected. The kiosk location may bedetermined from an internal GPS in the kiosk and/or Internet connection,and that location information can be used to determine further aspectssuch as: the state and city names, the location name (e.g., shoppingmall, store, school etc.), the current local weather and temperature,the local weather forecast, identity of home sports team as well aslatest scores, current local traffic conditions. Software can be used todetermine gender, age, race, facial features, height etc. from the videostreams and/or images captured from any of the camera of the kiosk.Information that can be collected directly (e.g., name, age address,etc.,) from the client or the presented ID card, information regardingthe device the client intends to trade, and any other informationobtained from the client, with or without the aid of the kiosk app, canalso be useful in personalizing the avatar.

Since image recognition is a CPU intensive process, having this processon a central server gives the opportunity to increase performance bycustomizing the hardware. In contrast to many commercially availablesystems run their API on the client machine, some embodiments use a lowpower CPU which is not optimized for that kind of workload.

Additionally, specialized hardware and/or software at the processingserver remotely located from the kiosk can also use facialdetection/analytics software to help detect more information of thepictures taken of the client at the kiosk, such as their age, gender andheight. With this, the processing server can inform the call centeragent if the software has passed certain thresholds of certainty of amatch.

Once the client is identified, the system can use that information tomodify the kiosk's behavior perceived by the client, by personalizingthe transaction, thus increasing the odds of success while alsoincreasing the security of the transaction. For example, the avatar canbe made to speak to the client using the client's name (by either usingpre-recorded audio files or, commercially available text-to-speechsoftware), and/or the avatar's speech may be personalized to the clientby using more age-targeted phrases. Additionally, whereas, for securityreasons, the number of transactions may be restricted to a certainnumber for a client initially, that number may be increased over timeand instances of use by that client.

If the ID information is not valid, then the client may be rejected andthe user session closed at operation 813.

If the ID information is found to be valid, at operation 814, the usersession is updated to include the client's identification information.At this stage, the user session may be maintained in memory.

At operation 816, the updated user session is stored. The storing may beto non-volatile memory in the kiosk. In some embodiments, the storingmay also be to a remotely located storage server.

FIG. 19 illustrates a portion of flowchart 800 including operations 818to 840. After operation 816, the flowchart 800 proceeds to operation818. At operation 818 the client is prompted to connect the trade device(i.e., the electronic device that the client intends to trade or submitfor analysis by the kiosk) to the kiosk network connection. According toan embodiment, at least one of the options available to the trade devicefor connecting is a wireless network connection which includes, forexample, a WiFi or Bluetooth connection. The prompting may be performedusing a displayed message and/or audio prompts requesting that theclient connect the trade device to the kiosk client network. In someembodiments, the connection between the trade device and the kiosk maybe made using another form of near field communication (NFC) protocol.

At operation 820, it is determined whether the trade device is newlyconnected to the kiosk client network connection. The detection may beperformed by a router in the kiosk and/or a control processor of thekiosk. The detection may be based upon monitoring new connections at therouter and/or based upon a required sign-in operation to the router.

If the trade device is connected to the kiosk client network, then atoperation 822, the client is prompted to download the kiosk application(“kiosk app”) to the trade device. The prompting may be based upondisplaying a message on the screen of the kiosk. This prompt may becustomized to the device type detected while the connection wasestablished.

At operation 824, it is determined whether the kiosk app wassuccessfully downloaded to the trade device. This determination may bebased upon an amount of data transferred via the router to the tradedevice. In some embodiments, this determination may be made through theuse of a proxy on the router that tunnels and monitors connections toknown hosts. In some embodiments, this determination may be made whenthe kiosk app is automatically installed on the trade device andcommunicates with the kiosk.

At operation 826, the kiosk app is caused to run on the trade device.For example, upon completion of the download, the kiosk app may beconfigured to automatically install and run on the trade device. In someembodiments, the client is prompted to install and run the kiosk app.

At operation 828 it is determined whether the kiosk app successfullyexecuted on the trade device. This determination may be based upon thekiosk receiving a preprogrammed message from the kiosk app now runningon the trade device.

If the kiosk app was executed successfully, at operation 830, the clientis prompted to place the trade device in the kiosk for evaluation. Thisprompting may be delivered via the kiosk's screen and/or the tradedevice's screen.

At operation 832, it is determined whether the trade device is in thekiosk opening. This determination may be based upon a sensor in theopening and/or camera view of the opening. In some embodiments, the doorto the opening is electronically controlled to open when the messageprompting the client to deposit the trade device is displayed. Theamount by which the door is opened may be controlled in accordance withthe type of trade device being deposited, for example, in a manner thatjust enough space is provided in the opening to deposit the trade devicein a horizontal orientation. In some other embodiments, the door ismanually opened by the client.

If the trade device is detected in the kiosk opening, then at operation834, a message is displayed to the client to indicate that the tradedevice is now being evaluated. At operation 836, trade device evaluationis activated.

In certain example embodiments, the kiosk app is used to relayinformation about the device to the kiosk and/or to the call center, todisplay instructions to the client and also as a security measure. Theapp and the kiosk operate in tandem to make available an extensive testof each user device. Whereas some online and “brick & mortar” companiesthat accept used electronic devices in exchange for money, pay onlyafter they get the phone into their hands (therefore adjusting the priceonce they physically test all features and see the phone's condition),in the example embodiments discussed herein, the service provider (e.g.entity purchasing the trade device) would desire to be as certain of thevalue of the device as possible because payment for the device is madeto the client at the kiosk before the provider or any of its humanoperators physically receive it.

When a client is at the kiosk, after they have identified themselves(e.g., via their picture and that of their official ID card) the kioskmay open its WiFi hotspot capability (to discourage abuse, at least insome embodiments, WiFi may only be available for a short time and onlypoints to the kiosk app on the OS's Application Store). The client maythen, if they had previously already downloaded the kiosk app on to thetrade device, be prompted to run the kiosk app. The app, after it isstarted, will connect to the kiosk and the client will be instructed tofollow directions provided on the screen of the trade device and/or onthe kiosk.

If the client has not yet downloaded the kiosk app, the system willguide the client (e.g., through the kiosk's GUI) on how to download theapp and subsequently the client will be instructed to start the app andto follow directions.

When the kiosk app is started on the trade device, it may verify thatthe trade device is connected to the kiosk's WiFi. If the trade deviceis not already connected, the GUI (on the app and/or on the kiosk)instructs the client to connect to the kiosk's WiFi (e.g., “Buy BackBooth's Wi-Fi”).

Once connected, the application collects the trade device's information(e.g., IMEI/MEID/ESN (if possible), brand, model #, carrier, CPU, RAM,SD card, etc.) and detects any peripheral that is attached to the tradedevice either directly (e.g., earphones, battery pack, charging cable,adapters etc.) or wirelessly (e.g., watch, headset, phone, thermometer,etc.). It gathers all this info and transfers it to the kiosk. It thenwaits for further instructions.

Instructions on the kiosk screen may be displayed on the kioskapplication at the same time, for example, to put the trade device intothe kiosk or if an accessory attached to the trade device is detectedthat needs to be removed (e.g., plastic cover).

A kiosk where the trade device (e.g., phone) has to be inside the kioskto test it may have to request the client to remove the phone from thekiosk to do certain operations (e.g., a message such as “Sorry, you seemto have forgotten to remove the earphones and auxiliary battery pack aswell as the charging cable. Please take the phone out of the kiosk andremove them.”). Also, since there is no convenient way to tell if theclient has indeed removed all of the attachments (e.g., while the phoneis in the user's hands, outside of the kiosk), this may still go on afew times as the client may have only completed some of the requests.With the kiosk app that is wirelessly linked to the kiosk, the client isasked to fully prepare the phone before ever inserting it into the kioskso as to avoid the need to have the client insert and remove the tradedevice from the kiosk several times.

While the client is still handling their trade device, the kiosk app may(in some embodiments, under the control of the kiosk and/or call center)also have the client test the physical buttons of the trade device (as abroken button significantly reduces a trade device's value). Both thekiosk app and the kiosk will instruct the client to press on the volume,home and on/off buttons (e.g., and other buttons specific to each modelphone—since the kiosk app will have informed the kiosk or call centeroperator of the model). While this is going on, the kiosk or call centeroperator can (transparently to the client) have the kiosk app testthings like, the accelerometer, the gyroscope, the GPS, Bluetooth, etc..Only when either the app has run through a standard predetermined testroutine and/or the kiosk or call center operator has been satisfied thatthe trade device is ready to be placed within the kiosk will the clientbe permitted to place it in the kiosk opening for further evaluation.

Once the phone is in the kiosk, the app and the kiosk still work intandem to continue the testing. For example, the app will force thephone to take pictures with one or both cameras (albeit within thekiosk) and transmit these to the server and have them available to thecall center operator for evaluation. The kiosk may be configured withone or more particular markings for the purpose of being analyzed forquality when the markings are detected in images captured by the tradedevice's camera(s).

Once the trade device is in the kiosk and the door is closed, the kioskmay send a unique identifier to the trade device which then displays itas a QR code on screen. The kiosk reads back this QR code while takingpictures of the trade device which verifies that the trade device in thekiosk is really the trade device that is running the application. Insome embodiments, patterns other than QR codes may be displayed anddetected for this purpose. This security measure is important in orderto avoid a situation where a client tries to run the application on twodevices and put the lower valued one in the kiosk as the trade device.

The kiosk app can also test the trade device's speaker(s) by having thekiosk cue the app to play an audio file while the microphone in thekiosk records it and sends results to the processing server (e.g.processing server 108). The reverse may also be done where the kioskwill play a file through a speaker within the kiosk and cue the kioskapp to record it and send the results to the server or to the kiosk app.The server or the kiosk app may be configured to detect the known audiofiles and alert the agent if either the microphone or the speaker of thetrade device is damaged. The kiosk app or other program residing in thekiosk can also be used to test for dead pixels by displaying full solidblack, white and/or colored images and using the kiosks camera(s) totake pictures of the screens to then send to the server for furtherreview. In some embodiments, the program executed on the trade devicemay be initiated by accessing a web page from the trade device.

Network connections can also be tested by communication between thekiosk app running on the device and the kiosk. For example, signalstrength for WiFi, cellular, Bluetooth etc., can be measured andcompared against known or predetermined values at the kiosk. The kioskmay be equipped with a one or more Bluetooth and/or other near fieldcommunication—enabled trade devices that can pair with the client'sdevice, thereby providing a means for testing such functionality.

Application commands can also be used to control the trade deviceremotely. This gives the kiosk or the call center operator thecapability of retrieving more information or display specific things onscreen. For example, the call center operator may have morecomprehensive tests for each particular feature. Say, for example, thecall center operator needs more pictures of the trade device taken atdifferent angles while the trade device's screen is displaying differentimages: it would be possible for the operator to instruct one or boththe app and the kiosk to do so.

If the IMEI cannot be retrieved programmatically by the kiosk app, thekiosk app may use a corporate installation certificate that the clientneeds to approve which gives access to the IMEI. This feature may beused as a means for enterprises to identify and automatically installupdates and applications on their fleets of mobile devices. Some or allof the analysis and detection of the audio quality can be performed atthe kiosk. Some or all of the analysis and detection may be performedentirely under the control of the kiosk and/or the call center operator.

At operation 838, externally detectable metrics for the trade device(e.g., picture, volume, weight, shape, size, etc.) are obtained. Thetrade device is moved into a scanning chamber in the kiosk for theevaluation. One or more cameras may be utilized to capture images of thetrade device. The images may be for determining the externally visiblecharacteristics of the trade device. For example, visible indications ofthe type and model of the trade device, cracks, dents, scratches, etc.on the surface, missing buttons, etc. The kiosk may, in someembodiments, automatically determine, based upon images captured by aplurality of cameras, a volume, size and/or shape of the trade device.In some embodiments, a weighing scale may be integrated into a platformwhich holds the trade device when it is within the scanning chamber, orbefore it is in the scanning chamber, that can detect the weight of thetrade device.

At operation 840, internal metrics for the trade device are obtainedusing the kiosk app running on the trade device. Internal metrics mayinclude operating system, memory, manufacturer, model number, hardwarefeatures and configuration, battery status, network status, signalstrength, audio quality, video display quality, etc.

Some embodiment are configured to one or more techniques for identifyingthe trade device. According to an embodiment, a first technique ofidentifying a device is also used to continuously upgrade the successrate of a second technique for identifying devices. The criteria todecide which technique to use may, in some embodiments, solely be basedon whether a trade device can run the kiosk app or not.

If the trade device can run the kiosk app, the app may be programmed tocause the trade device to transfer all the information needed toidentify itself to the system's servers. In some embodiments, theinformation can be deemed 100% accurate. The kiosk takes pictures of thetrade device to match the information decrypted from the QR code shownon screen against the information received directly from the tradedevice. All pictures and data may be sent to the call center where anoperator can assess the information received and condition of the tradedevice (scratches, missing button, etc.). The pictures obtained this wayare deemed to be accurate ones of the positively identified device sothey can be used to further populate one or more central databases.

If the trade device cannot run the application (because it's not asmartphone or a compatible processor based device, it's broken, etc.)the client is instructed to put the trade device in the kiosk as is. Thekiosk takes pictures of the trade device and sends those pictures to thecall center or processing server. Once on the call center, the picturesare run through an algorithm which detects features of the device(device surface area, screen surface area, width/height ratio, color,button placement, edge features, markings). These values are thencompared to pictures stored in a database to match possible candidates.The top candidates (e.g., top five candidates)—with maybe a percentageof certainty—are shown to the call center agent who then selects thecorrect one.

FIG. 20 illustrates a portion of flowchart 800 including operations 842to 856. After operation 840, the flowchart 800 proceeds to operation842. At operation 842, the user session is updated to include aspects ofthe collected metrics.

At operation 844, the acquired metrics are processed. The processing mayinclude performing validity checks on some of the collected metrics.Processing may also include deriving one or more parameters based uponobtained parameters. For example, a remaining battery lifetime may bedetermined based upon the collected metrics of battery strength, batterytype, and the type and model of the trade device.

At operation 846, the user session is assigned to a remote operator(e.g. a call center operator). According to an embodiment, wheremultiple levels of remote operators are available to service clients atkiosks, a level 1 remote operator is assigned to the user session basedupon the specific criteria of this user session.

At operation 848, the remote operator verifies the client. Verifying theclient may be based on the obtained information (e.g., ID cardinformation) and images of the client as captured by one or more of thekiosk cameras. For example, the remote operator may compare the image inthe driver's license to the image captured by the camera in order todetermine whether they match. If it is determined that they match, theremote operator determines whether the client is indeed the same personas the one identified by the card inserted.

According to some embodiments, the Call Center Agent may be a finaldecision maker for each and every transaction. In general, there areseveral factors that may be used in the call center operator's decisionfor the satisfactory completion of a transaction.

In some embodiments, the call center operator may have to be satisfiedthat the pictures taken of the client matches the picture(s) on theclient's official ID Card, so that, for example, a reliable positiveidentification can be made. If the call center operator feels morepictures are needed, he/she can command the kiosk to acquire morepictures. In some embodiments, the call center operator may command thekiosk to acquire pictures using specified capture parameters (e.g.,capture angle, zoom level, light level, etc.). The captured pictures maybe transferred immediately after capture to the requesting call centeroperator.

The call center operator can also send text messages or other signals tothe kiosk's GUI commanding the GUI to display messages requesting theclient to remove sunglasses, hats, scarfs, etc., or to stand and/or facein a particular manner (e.g., directly face camera, tilt face up, lookto your left etc.) before the next image is taken.

The call center operator may also have to be satisfied that he canaccurately identify the device submitted by the client at the kiosk,albeit with all the help that a database can offer him.

The call center operator may also have to be satisfied that the moneyoffered to the client for their device is in line with all the rest ofthe information gathered up to that point—including the generalcondition of the device submitted.

The call center operator can also affect the progress of the transactionby sending the trade device back to the client and opening the door andasking the client to turn over the device (as it may have been placedincorrectly) or even just terminating the transaction while sending theclient a message for this decision.

At operation 850, it is determined whether the client was successfullyverified.

At operation 852, it is determined whether the trade device is valid.The call center operator may make this determination based upon all themetrics and other information gathered so far regarding the trade devicefrom the scanning and from running the kiosk app.

At operation 854, the operator selects trade device conditions. The callcenter operator may be presented with various visual condition options.For example: cracked screen, blemishes, scratches, missing buttons,missing back cover, missing battery. The operator may also be presentedwith a general condition selector (i.e.: bad, poor, good, excellent,etc.) which will directly impact price. At this point, the operator maychoose to decline the trade device condition, for example, due tounwanted attached options (i.e.: earphones, cables, non-genuine cover,etc.) FIG. 21 illustrates a portion of flowchart 800 includingoperations 856 to 864. After operation 854, the flowchart 800 proceedsto operation 856. At operation 856, a value for the trade device isdetermined based upon the information gathered and the conditionsselected previously.

At operation 858, the user session is updated with the estimated valuefor the trade device.

At operation 860, it is determined whether the trade device istradeable. For example, if the estimated value for the trade device isabove a predetermined threshold, then it is considered tradeable.Otherwise, it is untradeable. An example predetermined threshold valuemay be $0.

If the trade device is determined to be tradeable, at operation 862, theclient is presented with an offer for the trade device. The offer mayinclude a price that the kiosk operator is willing to pay the client forthe trade device. The price may be the same as the estimated value ormay be based upon it. The offer may be presented by displaying the priceand virtual buttons that the client can use to indicate acceptance orrejection of the offer.

Some business model for operating the kiosks, like the kiosks describedhere, call for the same company to own, distribute and service eachkiosk directly. This model is prone to being very taxing to thecompany's finances as well as to their human resources.

In some embodiments, each kiosk 102 (or, in some cased, each group ofkiosks) is sold to an independent business owner (IBO) who will then“subscribe” to services of a first company. The goal may be to offerflexibility and/or encourage geo-specific pricing. In order to achievethis model of operation, a plurality of different “subscriptionpackages” can be offered. The IBO may start by purchasing (or in someoccasions leasing) the package that consists of the kiosk with all ofthe software to operate the kiosk. It is understood that the kiosk ismade to work while connected to a centralized call center operators andprocessing servers. Some examples of flexible subscription modelsinclude a basic model, geo-specific pricing model, or a combo pricingtechnique.

According to the basic pricing model, the IBO purchases the kiosk aswell as the software that runs it (including the call center operators,etc.). What the user is paid for a traded device is determined based onfactors such as the trade device's current wholesale value, theprojected retail value, the amount of inventory currently or expected tobe accumulated of that particular device, etc.

According to an example embodiment, the IBO's payment for a tradeddevice is based on a scale that integrates one or more factors which mayinclude the amount paid to the client, the total amount of unitsreceived by the IBO in a given time, the overall number of kiosksoperated by the IBO, etc..

According to the geo-specific pricing model, the IBO purchases the kioskas well as the software that runs it (including the call centeroperators, etc.). The system determines what the client is paid for aparticular device based on factors like: the projected price that thetrade device will be resold at the amount of inventory accumulating ofthat particular device, etc. One may also modify the pricing based onthe geographic location of the kiosk.

The IBO may keep a small amount from each sale the amounts of which aredetermined on a scale (based on one or more factors which may includethe amount paid for the trade device, the total amount of units receivedby the IBO in a given time, the overall number of kiosks operated by theIBO, etc.).

According to the combo pricing, the IBO purchases the kiosk as well asthe software that runs it (including call center operators, etc.). Thesystem may determine a recommended amount that should be paid for aparticular device based on factors like: the amount paid once the deviceis sold, the accumulated amount of inventory etc. The IBO may be able tomodify the amount paid to the client (within a min/max range) based ontheir own criteria. The trade device collection entity (e.g. firstcompany) may share in the gains or losses—but is likely have a minimumamount that is received in any case. In some embodiments, previoustransactions and/or other sources of transaction information may beprocessed to determine the amount of payment, and/or to determine othertransaction information that can be displayed to the client. Forexample, previous transaction data from various sources can be analyzedto determine the prices paid by competitors for trade devices of similartype and characteristics.

At operation 864, it is determined whether the client has accepted theoffer. The client may indicate acceptance of the offer by touching theappropriate virtual button displayed on the screen of the kiosk. If theclient intends to decline, he/she may instead touch a different virtualbutton for declining.

FIG. 22 illustrates a portion of flowchart 800 including operations 866to 874. After operation 864, the flowchart 800 proceeds to operation866. At operation 866, the client is presented with the agreement fortrading the trade device. The agreement may be a standard form contractwith certain fields filled in with information regarding the client'sidentity and address, the identification of the trade device, and, insome cases, the value for which the trade device is exchanged.

At operation 868, it is determined whether the client accepts theagreement. The client may indicate that he agrees with the agreement bypressing a displayed virtual button. The kiosk app or the server canthen generate an agreement ID and associate it with other informationgathered in the transaction that uniquely identifies the client.

At operation 870, the trade device is secured within the kiosk. Forexample, in some embodiments, the trade device will be put in a selectedone of a plurality of bins collecting trade devices, in accordance withthe type and/or condition of the trade device. In some embodiments, thekiosk may automatically label (e.g. affix a sticker) to the trade devicewith identifying information before directing the device to a selectedbin.

At operation 872, the client is provided with payment. The payment tothe client of the agreed upon amount may be provided in cash or othermeans. For example, Paypal transfer, email wire transfer or other creditmay be provided in addition to, or in place of, cash. Coupons,redeemable at the local establishment where the kiosk is located orelsewhere, may be another form of payment dispensed in exchange for atrade device.

At operation 874, the client is provided with a receipt for the tradedevice. The receipt may indicate identifying information for the tradedevice, the time and date of the transaction, and the amount paid to theclient in exchange for the trade device. In some embodiments, the clientcan select to receive his receipt by email or other electronic transfer.The receipt may include a coupon which may be in the form of a QR code,bar code, or other recognizable identifiers for a merchant to accept thecoupon. In an embodiment of the invention, the IBO can be presentedconfiguration options to configure coupons to be handed out foralternate payment methods, including, for example, a coupon to be handedout when a trade device has little or no value. The server may also sendto kiosks or groups of kiosks instructions for distributing coupons bythe kiosk.

FIG. 23 illustrates a flowchart of a process 900 for securing the tradedevice within the kiosk. Process 900 may include operations 902-908.According to an embodiment process 900 may be executed when performingoperation 870.

At operation 902, trade device information such as type of device, modelinformation, manufacture information, obtained metrics, configurations,etc. are prepared from the user session and/or the obtained metrics.

At operation 904, the prepared information is printed on a tag (e.g.,some type of sticker). An inventory tracking number may also begenerated (unless already generated) and printed on the tag. Theprepared tag is attached to the trade device. Some embodiments mayinclude a robotic arm or the like that can be controlled by the kiosk toattach the tag to the trade device. In another embodiment, a Bluetoothtracking tag, RFID tag or the like may be attached to each trade device.The tracking information, along with the transaction information, issubsequently transferred to a central server for coordinating operationsthroughout the network of kiosks. Moreover, additionally oralternatively, a Bluetooth tracking device can be attached or somehowpositioned in the kiosk to enable tracking of the kiosk. For example,such a tracking device may enable the kiosk, even if moved withoutauthorization, to be tracked by either transmitting its location to apredetermined server, or by enabling nearby Bluetooth enabled devices(e.g., smartphones etc.) running a tracking program to detect thepresence of the kiosk.

At operation 906, a collection bin is selected. In some embodiments,each kiosk is configured with multiple collection bins. The tradedevices may be categorized in accordance with their device type, value,or some other criteria, such that they may be collected in differentbins. For example, smartphones, tablet computers, and smart watches, maybe directed to different bins.

At operation 908, the trade device is placed into, or dropped in, theselected bin.

Subsequently, the retail or premise operator may collect the tradedevices from the different bins and ship them to the kiosk operator orother service that is specified by the kiosk operator.

FIG. 24 illustrates a flowchart of a process 1000 for providing paymentto the client. Process 1000 may include operations 1002-1014. Accordingto an embodiment process 1000 may be executed when performing operation872.

At operation 1002, the client is prompted to select the mode ofreceiving the payment. The prompt may be displayed on the screen of thekiosk. The available modes may include, for example, one or more of,cash, coupon, credit to the client's Paypal or other specified account,or debit card.

At operation 1004, it is determined whether cash payment has beenselected.

If the client selected cash payment, then at operation 1010, an amountof cash corresponding to the agreed upon payment value is provided tothe client.

If the client selected another mode of payment than cash, then atoperation 1006, additional information is obtained for processing thepayment. The additional information may include, the exact mode ofpayment, account number etc.

After operation 1006, at operation 1008, the payment is provided throughthe selected other means. If the client has selected Paypal as thepreferred payment option, then the specified account is credited withthe amount of money corresponding to the agreed upon payment. If theclient selected to receive a debit card, the kiosk encodes a debit cardwith the payment amount and outputs the card. Alternate payment methodssuch as electronic fund transfers directly to the client's apps (e.g.,Venmo), gift cards or smart cards, can be contemplated in conjunctionwith the present invention

After providing payment, by one of operation 1010 or 1008, process 1000proceeds to operation 1012 where the client is prompted with respect toa receipt. The client may specify whether or not a receipt is desiredand the mode of receiving the receipt.

At operation 1014, the receipt is provided. Providing the receipt may beby printing the receipt, and/or by emailing a copy of the receipt to theclient at one or more specified email addresses.

FIG. 25 illustrates a flowchart of a process 1100 for returning thetrade device back to the client from the kiosk. Process 1100 may includeoperations 1102-1108. Returning of the trade device may be performed atany stage when the client cancels out of the transaction, or when thetransaction is cancelled by the system for reasons such as the clientrejecting the estimated amount, not accepting the agreement, the tradedevice not being eligible for trading or recycling.

At operation 1102, the trade device is prepared for returning. Forexample, if the kiosk app was being executed under control of the kioskor call center operator, the app would be shutdown and/or any changescaused to the trade devices system would be reverted entirely or to someextent.

At operation 1104, the trade devices is conveyed back to the kioskopening from the scanning area.

At operation 1106, the client is prompted to collect the trade devicefrom the kiosk opening. The door to the kiosk opening may beelectronically controlled to facilitate retrieval.

At operation 1108, the user session is closed. Closing of the usersession may include archiving and/or storing a copy of the session.

FIG. 26 illustrates a flowchart of a process 1200 for obtaining theclient's approval of the trade agreement. Process 1200 may includeoperations 1202-1206. According to an embodiment process 1200 may beexecuted when performing operation 868, for example, prompting theclient to indicated whether he/she accepts the agreement.

At operation 1202, an input from the client is received indicating thatthe acceptance of the agreement. For example, the client may havetouched the displayed virtual button corresponding to the acceptance.

At operation 1204, the client is prompted for providing confirmation ofthe acceptance. The prompting may be via the screen of the kiosk. Forexample, the client may be requested to provide a thumbprint asconfirmation of the acceptance. In some embodiments, a differentbiometric can be used as a confirmation of acceptance, for example aneye scan, voice recognition, facial pattern recognition, etc.

At operation 1206, the thumbprint reader is activated to obtain theclient's confirmation.

FIG. 27 illustrates a flowchart of a process 1300 for determiningwhether to recycle the trade device. Process 1300 may include operations1302-1304. According to an embodiment process 1300 may be executed whenperforming operation 860 determines that the trade device does not havea tradeable value.

At operation 1302, the client is prompted to accept the option torecycle the trade device. For example, such an option may be providedwhen the system determined that the trade device does not havesufficient tradeable value.

At operation 1304, it is determined whether the user has selected therecycle option. Subsequently, the process may proceed to present theclient with an agreement and collect the trade device for recycling.

FIG. 28 illustrates a flowchart of a process 1400 for obtaining clientidentifying information. Process 1400 may include operations 1402-1406.According to an embodiment process 1400 may be executed when performingoperation 810.

At operation 1402, the client is prompted to provide an ID.

At operation 1404, the ID unit is monitored to detect insertion of an IDby the client.

At operation 1406, upon detecting that an ID has been inserted into theID unit, the ID is scanned/photographed. In some embodiments, additionaland/or supplementary information may be obtained from the client. Forexample, the client may be required to manually enter a phone number,zip code etc. to aid in the identifying process.

FIG. 29 illustrates a flowchart of a process 1500 for processing thetrade device when the trade device cannot run or for some reason doesnot run the kiosk app. Process 1500 may include operations 1502-1520.According to an embodiment process 1500 may be executed when performingoperations 824 or 828.

At operation 1502, the client is prompted to place the trade device inthe kiosk opening

At operation 1504, the kiosk opening is monitored to detect the presenceof the trade device.

When the trade device is detected, at operation 1506, a notification isdisplayed requesting the client to wait until the device is evaluated.

At operation 1508, trade device evaluation is activated. This includesmoving the trade device into the scanning chamber form the kiosk openingarea.

At operation 1510, the evaluation of the trade device in the scanningchamber is performed. The evaluation includes detecting externallyvisible metrics such as size, shape, other visible characteristics thatare determinable by capturing images of the trade device.Characteristics such as weight etc. may also be detected. However,because the kiosk app is not active, certain internal metrics areunavailable.

At operation 1512, the user session is updated with obtained metrics.

At operation 1514, a value is determined for the trade device. Thedetermination may be based upon the metrics obtained in the aboveoperations.

At operation 1516, it is determined whether the trade device hassufficient tradeable value. If no, the trade device may be consideredfor recycling or returned to the client. If yes, the process 500proceeds to operation 1518 where the corresponding user session isassigned to a call center operator. In some embodiments, in thisscenario where the kiosk app is not able to run on the trade device, theuser session is queued to be assigned to a level 2 operator.

The queue servicing may be based upon the round robin discipline suchthat waiting clients at different kiosks are fairly treated. Atoperation 1520, the user session is assigned to an available level 2operator. Level 2 operators are authorized and equipped for a greaterlevel of engagement with the client than the level 1 operators.

FIG. 30 illustrates a flowchart of a process 1600 for processing of auser session by a level 2 operator. Process 1600 may include operations1602-1620. According to an embodiment process 1600 may be executed when,for example, a user session for transaction related to a trade devicewhich does not run the kiosk app.

At operation 1602, the user session is obtained by the assigned level 2call center operator.

At operation 1604, the operator determines whether the client hasrequested help or assistance.

If the client has indicated that he is having an issue, then atoperation 1606, the operator directly interacts with the client toresolve the issues.

If the client has not indicated that he is having an issue, then atoperation 1608, the operator may use one or more of the kiosk camerasand/or microphone/speaker to further corroborate or determine the clientprovided ID information.

At operation 1610, if the ID is successfully verified, the process 1600may proceed to operation 1612 at which the operator may verify theacquired trade device metrics.

At operation 1614, it is determined whether the trade device is a validdevice.

At operation 1616, it is again determined whether the kiosk app isrunning in the trade device.

If it is determined that the app is now running on the trade device, atoperation 1618, the operator may utilize the app to further determineconditions of the trade device.

In the case that the app is not running on the trade device, or wherethe app is running, after certain trade device conditions are determinedwith the help of the app, at operation 1620, the operator may select adevice option from a list of devices selected by the system.

Although particular embodiments have been described above, a person ofskill in the art having been provided with this disclosure, wouldappreciate aspects of the different embodiments may be used in variouscombinations to realize still other embodiments of a sensor-attachedanchor.

While the embodiments presented herein have been described in detail,the foregoing description is in all aspects illustrative and notrestrictive. It is understood that numerous other modifications andvariations can be devised without departing from the scope of thedisclosed embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A kiosk for accepting a portable electronicdevice from a client in exchange for payment, comprising: at least onedisplay; one or more cameras; a portable device receiving arrangement; apayment dispensing arrangement; at least one communication connection toa remote server and/or operator; and at least one processor configuredto: in conjunction with the remote server and/or operator, control anapplication program executing on the portable electronic device and oneor more the cameras to detect characteristics of the portable electronicdevice; determining a value for the portable electronic device basedupon aspects including the detected characteristics, and displaying thedetermined value on said at least one display for approval by theclient; based upon the determined value, provide a payment to the clientvia the payment dispensing arrangement; and deposit the portableelectronic device in the kiosk for subsequent collection.